SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PARKING RESERVATION AND PAYMENT

• US 20130346121A1
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lanier Parking Holdings
• Original Assignee: WebPark, Inc.
• Inventors: Shealy, Cody William, Taff, Steven David, Taff, Amanda Wallace, Klarman, David Alan, Graham, Richard Charles, Kozireski-Quinn, Karen Ann, Jastremski, Marc
• Application Number:
  US13/928,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346121A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment includes a method for providing a parking reservation on a computer system. The parking reservation method is embodied in a computer program product for execution on an instruction processing system, comprising a tangible storage medium readable by the instruction processing system is storing instructions for execution by the instruction processing system. The method comprises enabling a customer to purchases a bar-coded pass online for an event, collecting payment for the bar-coded pass, and issuing the bar-coded pass to the customer. The method further comprises updating a current available parking slots inventory for a selected parking lot in the tangible storage medium, and validating the bar-coded pass by scanning the bar-coded pass to verify that the bar-coded pass is valid.

Claims

1. A method for providing a parking reservation embodied in a computer program product for execution on an instruction processing system, comprising a tangible storage medium readable by the instruction processing system is storing instructions for execution by the instruction processing system for performing the method comprising:

enabling a customer to purchases a bar-coded pass online for an event;

collecting payment for the bar-coded pass;

issuing the bar-coded pass to the customer;

updating a current available parking slots inventory for a selected parking lot in the tangible storage medium;

validating the bar-coded pass by scanning the bar-coded pass to verify that the bar-coded pass is good.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving notification that the customer has lost a valid bar-coded pass;

verifying that the bar-coded pass has not been used already; and

reissuing a new bar-coded pass if the bar-coded pass has not already been used.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

requiring the customer to purchase the new bar-coded pass if the bar-coded pass has already been used; and

notifying an attendant at the selected parking lot to locate a vehicle using the lost bar-coded pass.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the bar-coded pass further comprises:

an electronic form that can be printed by the customer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bar-coded pass further comprises:

an electronic form that can displayed on a mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the bar-coded pass includes a map to selected parking lot.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a selected parking lot location; and

determining a starting point for the customer at a time of the event.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining if there will be altered traffic patterns during the time of the event; and

illustrating altered traffic patterns on the map to selected parking lot.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the selected lot by the location of the event.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the event is a single or multiple occurrence.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a third party is managing the distribution of the bar-coded pass.

4. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

issuing a citation to the vehicle using the lost bar-coded pass.

13. A method for providing a long-term parking reservation embodied in a computer program product for execution on an instruction processing system, comprising a tangible storage medium readable by the instruction processing system is storing instructions for execution by the instruction processing system for performing the method comprising:

determining a selected parking lot;

determining the parking term period;

collecting payment for the long-term parking reservation;

issuing a bar-coded pass for the long-term parking reservation to the customer if there is a slot space available in the selected parking lot and the payment is successful; and

updating a current available parking slots inventory for a selected parking lot in the tangible storage medium if the bar-coded pass is issued to the customer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

placing the customer on a wait list for the selected parking lot if there a slot space is not available in the selected parking lot.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining if any parking violation fees are outstanding if the long-term reservation is a renewing of a current long-term parking reservation.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining if any of the parking violations would cause a termination of the long-term parking reservation.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sending a customer notification of the parking violation fees and the reasons for termination of the long-term parking reservation.

18. A method for providing a remote validation of a bar-coded event pass embodied in a computer program product for execution on an instruction processing system, comprising a tangible storage medium readable by the instruction processing system is storing instructions for execution by the instruction processing system for performing the method comprising:

scanning the bar-coded event pass with a scanner;

determining if the bar-coded event pass is valid;

permitting entry to a event if the bar-coded event pass is valid; and

denying entry to the event if the bar-coded event pass is invalid.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining if there are slots available for purchase of a substitute bar-coded event pass if the bar-coded event pass is invalid.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

updating a current available event slots inventory for the event in the tangible storage medium if the bar-coded event pass is valid.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the bar-coded event pass is a bar-coded parking pass and further comprises:

determining if the bar-coded parking pass is assigned a reserved slot.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a location of a vehicle in a reserved slot; and

determining if the vehicle in the reserved slot is authorized by the bar-coded parking pass.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

obtaining information on the vehicle in the reserved slot using a bar-coded parking pass.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the scanner is a handheld scanner and the location of the vehicle is determined by a GPS unit in the handheld scanner.

25. A method for issuing a citation to a parking violation of vehicle embodied in a computer program product for execution on an instruction processing system, comprising a tangible storage medium readable by the instruction processing system is storing instructions for execution by the instruction processing system for performing the method comprising:

scanning a bar-coded parking pass of the vehicle in question;

inquiring if the vehicle has a history of parking violations;

determining if the bar-coded parking pass is valid; and

issuing the citation if the bar-coded parking pass is invalid.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining if the citation dictates escalated action.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the escalated action is placing a boot on the vehicle.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the escalated action is towing the vehicle.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining if the attendant has authority to implement the escalated action.